The moment to live and die
by fixusi
Summary: "Hal! Open your eyes!" is the last thing I hear before darkness takes over and nothing hurts anymore. Hurt!Hal. My first attempt to write Falling skies so be gentle with me. ;D No spoilers! Set in early season one or a little bit earlier.
1. Chapter 1

**I already wrote this once, but I accidentally deleted it all, so... let's try again :D**

**Slight hurt!Hal. Also includes worried!Hal and worried!Matt, because I haven't seen Ben yet (I'm only half way through season one, if even that) and I don't know how he will react to things. All mistakes are mine, and sorry if characters seem a little bit off, but I promise I tried my best :)**

It had been too peaceful. I mean, there had been few skitters and few mechs, but they didn't cause us any major problems. That was strange, but good. Even dad relaxed a little bit. That was good, because Matt needed him. After Mum and Ben it's no wonder.

I really feel sorry for that kid.

But like I said, it had been too peaceful. If there was no skitter trying to kill us, of course there was something else. In this case I mean humans. So when I'm standing back against a brick wall, holding shotgun in a tight grip and listening to bullets being fired, I start to think.

Is this really worth all the dead people?

Men at the end of the dark alley haven't seen us yet. And by us I mean me, dad and Dai. There are five more of us, but they are in different places, shooting and trying to avoid being shot. Me, dad or Dai are not shooting yet, because we are hiding and waiting for the right moment to jump in.

"Dad", I say when the silence between us three grows overwhelming. "You know Jimmy got shot, right? Why can't we shoot yet, give them some backup?"

Dad looks at me, and then quickly at Dai. But he shakes his head.  
"Not yet."

I shrug. Alright then, if he says so. I take a glance from the broken window I'm standing next to, and see one of the men falling down dead. One of the living men starts to shout and drops down on his knees next to the dead man and drags the body out of our sight.

Somebody must see me, because one minute I'm standing there and watching, and the next moment my ears are ringing from the noise of flying bullets and I can hear dad yelling. "Hal! Get away from the window!"

Dai tackles me to the ground, and I hit the floor with a thud. Dad comes next to me, quickly asks if I am okay and then moves near the window, aiming his gun. Dai appears next to him, and they both start firing. I hear yelling, shouting and screaming.

There are seven men. Huh. I could have swore there was eight of them.. Well, I guess I counted wrong.

I hear a muffed scream. It sounds scaring familiar. I spin around, trying to hear where did the sound come from. I take a quick look at dad. He is fully focused on shooting and I don't want to bother him, so I just exit the room as quickly and silently as I just can.

I find myself from the start of the alley we are shooting at. I can just take a look around me when I feel a warm, muscular hand grabbing my body and pulling me against someone else's body. I don't even have time to cry out when a hand is brought over my mouth and someone whispers something to my ear.

"You move or make another sound, I will snap your neck and that little brat's neck as well. Just do as I say, and we'll walk away from this alive."

I nod. I have a feeling I know who is he referring to with 'little brat'..

He lets go of me, but hits me immediately to the ground and takes my shotgun. And I see who is he holding in a tight grip. Matt.

"See, I was going to kill your people from the behind when I ran into this little kid", the man says and throws Matt forward. He falls on my arms with a cry. I quickly close my arms over him, watching the man angrily. "He is a little soldier, he didn't even show signs of fear. Even when I told him I was going to kill him." Man starts to laugh evilly. "It was a joke, of course. I'm not evil. I don't kill little kids, but I can't let him walk away, either."

I can feel Matt's heart beating fast. He must be scared to death. I hold him tight, wanting him to know that I would die protecting him. "Let him go", I whisper. "You can have me. He is just a little boy. What would he do?"

Man shrugs. "He knows a lot for 'just a boy'. He even knew where your group was staying at. But don't worry, he didn't tell me where you are staying. He is a soldier, as I said. He doesn't break easily." He stops to breathe. I just keep staring at him. "I assume you two are close, when you protect him like that. Brothers, maybe?"

I spit at him. "It's none of your business. I warn you, when our team is finished killing your buddies.. well, I'll have fun time imagining what they'll do to you. After all, you've taken a little kid from us." I bite my lip. I have honestly no idea what to do. I just hope dad will notice I'm gone soon and come look for me.

Man laughs a little bit more. "Oh, yeah? Maybe I'll just kill you, take the boy and disappear. They are not my buddies, I'm with them only because I had to. When this all started, I had two kids to worry about. Well, I don't have anymore."

Gosh. What a sick, sick man.

"All I am saying is I have no reason to hang with them anymore. I'm fully capable to take care of myself in this world. With two little kids it wouldn't be possible, but alone... well, with that boy. But he's a fighter. He can take care of himself. So that doesn't count."

I look at Matt. His arms are clutching my leather jacket and face buried to my chest. I rest my hand on his head gently. "You wouldn't", I hiss. "You wouldn't, because my dad would find you and kill you for what you did."

_Hal! _I hear my dad's voice. Come quick, I pray. Please, come quick.

But I'm not the only one who hears dad. The man hears it too, and roughly pulls me up. "Hal!" Matt screams as my grip of him is released and he falls to the ground. "It's okay Matt, it will be alright", I say to him. The man pulls me in front of him as a human shield. He presses a gun on my head and laughs a little bit.

"Don't you go anywhere, _Matt_, or Hal here will have a hole in his head."

I swallow. He is holding me so tightly I can't move. I try to struggle a little bit, but he presses his hand on my throat and shakes his head. "Not a good idea, Hal."

Dad steps out of the door, gun raised up on our level. "Let him go", dad says coldly, but I can see trough his eyes. There is worry and fear in his eyes, but I don't blame him. Because under my cool acting I'm terrified. And I know Matt is, too.

"No way", the man says. "You know I got one option, right? I'm going to kill you, Hal here and that Chinese man behind you."

Dad shakes his head. "You wouldn't." Man laughs a little bit. "That is just what this bastard said. You wouldn't kill me because my dad would make you pay, or how did it go, I don't know. I guess you are the daddy, right?"

Dad nods. "Yeah, I am. And I'm going to kill you before you can even say your name, because no-one threatens my son."

The man looks at dad, releasing his grip a little bit so I can attack. I kick the man to his knee, making him fall, and quickly I jump forward, missing the bullet with just few inches. I take Matt and shove him safe in to the building in case we have to start shooting.

But I hear just one gun going off. But it's the last thing I hear before a sharp pain hits me and I fall to the ground with a cry. "Hal!" I hear someone screaming, but I can't tell if it's dad or Matt. Because pain is all I can think of, and I feel blood starting to flood from my side.

I hear another gunshot, but this time it's like I'm under water and someone is shooting above the water. I feel someone patting my cheek, and for a minute the pain goes away. But then it comes back, only harder this time, and I scream when the pain grows overwhelming.

"We have to put pressure on the wound, you'll be alright", I hear somebody muttering to me but I just can't place it. I relax when I feel darkness taking over, and I close my eyes. "Hal! Open your eyes!" is the last thing I hear before darkness takes over and nothing hurts anymore.


	2. Chapter 2

**So, chapter two. I should be reading to the test we have tomorrow, but nah. Who really cares ? It's just Swedish. I'll manage just fine without it ;)**

**Thank you all for the reviews! The guests, too. I can't thank you with PM since you don't have an account or you are not logged in, but I'm thanking you now. It's always so nice to know someone likes!**

**I hope you guys enjoyed chapter one! I know the end was a cliffhanger, but hang on there. :D**

_"We have to put pressure on the wound, you'll be alright", I hear somebody muttering to me but I just can't place it. I relax when I feel darkness taking over, and I close my eyes. "Hal! Open your eyes!" is the last thing I hear before darkness takes over and nothing hurts anymore._

* * *

When I wake up, I feel no pain and I'm pretty sure I'm dead. Because last thing I remember is me screaming in pain and trying to keep breathing.

I slowly open my eyes, recognizing the room I am laying in on a soft bed. I'm safe and alive. At least I think I am.

Dad is asleep on the chair next to me, and I feel a little twinkle of sorry inside me. His back must be killing him.

I look around me. Nothing special in the room. Just chairs, tables, desks and sofa.

I moan. I just want to go back to sleep because in sleep is no pain, no skitters, no anything. Just soft blackness. But when I'm about to fall asleep again I hear someone talking to me.

"Hal? You awake?"

I open my eyes again. Gosh. Just let me sleep. I'm tired.

I see dad smiling at me. He looks worried, but he is smiling so I must be alright... right?

"Let me help you", he says when I start to sit up. "You are still unwell."

I nod slightly. I open my mouth to say something, maybe thank him, but no voice comes out. I'm not surprised, actually, because my throat feels like I haven't drink in days.

"You must be thirsty", dad mutters and gets up to go get some water. Soon he comes back and helps me sit up.

Cold water feels like a heaven in my sore, dry throat. I drink almost the whole bottle before I take a deep breath. "That felt good", I say with a grin, but it disappears from my face pretty quickly. "Dad.. did the man- what happened?"

Dad sighs. "He shot you. The bullet went right trough your side. Anne gave you lots of painkillers, cleaned the wounds and stitched them up. You had minor blood loss, but she gave you some more blood. You should be okay if the wounds don't get infected."

"But I am okay, right?" I ask. I want to be okay. And for my relief, dad nods.

Suddenly I see Matt standing by the door. When did he come in?

"Matt", I say. He grins sadly and steps closer. "Are you alright? You look a little pale."

He nods. "I am okay. What about you? I heard dad and Anne talking, they said you were in danger."

I look at dad. He looks down to his feet for a moment before lifting his gaze up to meet my eyes. "But it was like two days ago. I figured you should be okay by now, right?" Matt continues.

"Yeah. I am okay now. Maybe I wasn't two days ago-" _two days? How long I was out? _"-but I am okay now. Just a little tired, that's all."

_Little tired. _That isn't true. I'm so tired I'd fall asleep immediately if I closed my eyes.

"See, Matt? Hal's okay. I told you. Let's go and let him sleep, he must be exhausted", dad quietly says and lifts Matt up to sit on his arms. "Anne will come later to check you. Just... be good. Don't do anything stupid, okay?"

I smile a little bit. "Of course. What could I do from here?"

* * *

Next time I wake up, I'm shaking and I feel like I'm going to throw up. I'm covered in sweat even though I feel like I'm freezing.

"Dad-" I try to yell, but once again no sound comes out. Suddenly I feel like I can't breathe and I start to panic. I try to shout for dad again, but my sentence is cut off when I start to cough. I pull my hand up to cover my mouth as I cough. But when I lay my hand back on my lap, I notice it's covered with blood.

Not good. Coughing blood means I bit my lip open or I have internal bleeding. I really hope it's the first one.

I quickly look at the clock on the wall. It's two in the morning so everyone is sleeping.

Gosh. I have to get up and get some help, or I'll-

I manage to sit up without too much trouble. _You can do this, Hal. Just do it, _I think and slowly get off from the bed. I almost lose my balance when I don't take support of anything, but quickly I lay my hand on a bed to take some support.

This is going to be harder than I thought.

I step few careful steps forward. The world starts to spin a little bit around me. I close my eyes for a moment, but it just makes the spinning worse.

Somehow I manage to lose my balance, and I fall down with a cry. My body hits the floor and it sends a wave of pain trough my side and chest. I ignore it as well as I just can and start to get up, failing. I fall back to the floor.

I look up. It's only few meters to the door. I start to crawl towards it as the spinning worsens. Black dots start to swim in my vision, but I manage to make it to the door. With my last power I try to crab the door handle, but I fail and fall back to the floor.

I relax. I'm cold but I am sweating, so I'm pretty sure I have a fever. But the information does no good for me at the moment, because I feel like I can't breathe and all I want right now is to have someone here, to help me out.

I don't want to die.

Blackness is almost taken me again when the door opens and familiar face steps in. "Hal?"

**Alright. This wasn't so long chapter, but the next one will be longer, I promise. Reviews are love! And honestly, I have no idea where to lead this story, so if you have any suggestions or ideas don't be afraid to tell:D**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter three ! Thank you all who read this story and to you all who bothered to review or PM ! I really love you all :)**

**And thank you soo much SamWin98 for pre-reading! There would be so many mistakes without her help. :***

_I look up. It's only few meters to the door. I start to crawl towards it as the spinning worsens. Black dots start to swim in my vision, but I manage to make it to the door. With my last power I try to crab the door handle, but I fail and fall back to the floor._

_I relax. I'm cold but I am sweating, so I'm pretty sure I have a fever. But the information does no good for me at the moment, because I feel like I can't breathe and all I want right now is to have someone here, to help me out._

_I don't want to die._

_Blackness is almost taken me again when the door opens and familiar face steps in. "Hal?"_

* * *

Suddenly it's day again and I'm laying on my bed. Pain is gone, and I feel pretty good.

What the hell happened?

I slowly open my eyes, feeling much more healthy and alert. Room doesn't spin around me and I don't feel dizzy. It surprises me. I was prepared for pain and throwing up but this.. this is just too good for me. Maybe I died for real this time.

But I see Anne standing few meters away from the window back against me. She is looking out of the open window. There are kids playing outside, and I can hear their happy screams and laugh.

"Anne", I say. She spins around and starts to smile as she sees me.  
"Hal, you're awake. That's good. How are you feeling?"

I nod slightly. "I'm pretty good, actually. What happened?"

She walks towards me and lowers her hand on my bed. "Your wound got infected, which caused you a high fever. It was deadly high, and we almost lost you. But Tom went to the town and got you some medicine to stop the infection."

I swallow. "Dad went to the town?" "Yeah. Matt would have gone too, but Tom didn't let him, you know Matt. And you know Tom, too. Always worried about his sons."

I nod again, smiling a little bit.

"Well, I bet you want to eat something. You haven't eaten for days", Anne says and glances at the clock. "It's one o'clock. I'll go get you something before the civilians eat everything, okay?"

"Sounds good to me. I'm starving", I tell Anne. She looks quickly at me before she leaves the room.

* * *

"You have no idea how much I miss walking", I laugh when I finally have dad's permission to get up without help. He is standing next to me, arms crossed and serious look on his face.

"You know I hurt my side, right? Not my legs or anything", I say when dad doesn't answer. He nods grinning. "Yes, I do. But I don't want you to hurt yourself."

I stretch my arms and legs a little bit. It's been almost five days since I last stood. Gosh, I'd never guessed that standing could feel this good.

Matt steps in to the room. "Dad, can we go outside play? I'm bored."

Dad glances at me, as if he is asking me if it's okay. I nod. "I can handle this myself."

Matt smiles. "I'm glad you're okay", he says and runs out of the door. Dad nods at me. "Be careful", he tells me and leaves the room.

I sigh. I'm just glad this is over now.

I take a careful step forward. My legs don't give up. The room doesn't start to spin. Everything is okay. I close my eyes for a moment, and when I open them again I see Karen standing in the doorway.

"I see you're up again" she says and looks at me. Her gaze wanders all the way from my toes to my hair.

I nod.  
"Yeah. I'm not giving up so easily, you know that."

Karen bites her lip a little and steps in to the room. She looks at my eyes and smiles a little bit. "Walk towards me."

I know I can do it, so I nod. I take another step, trying to keep my balance. Walking after so much resting.. it's harder than I thought. But slowly I make it to her.

She pulls me close and hugs me. "I knew you'd do it", she whispers.

I let go of her and step a little bit back. "Of course I would make it. I'm tough." I smile when Karen rests her hands on my shoulders. "I know", she says.

"But I have to go. I promised to go to the town tonight with Tom and Dai." She takes her hands off of my shoulders and ducks her head for a second. "So. I'll see you later" She says as she lifts her gaze up to me.

I sigh, but I nod slightly. I get it. She is a fighter, after all, never taking breaks and always on a move.

We walk together out of the room, and I find walking easier now. I try to look as normal as I just can and draw as little attention as I just can, but seems like everybody knows about my injury. Because everybody is staring at me.

I'm the boy who got shot and survived.

We see dad and Dai with few others standing a couple meters away from the table full of food. They look like they are having a good time. Karen leaves to do something she said was important and I rush to dad.

"Hal! Good to see you standing", says Jack from our group. I nod. "Yeah. Feels good to walk."

Dad shakes slightly my shoulders and smiles like he always smiles when he wants to make everybody else feel safe. "Yeah.. Hal is a soldier. He's a tough kid."

Matt runs to me. "Shouldn't you be in schools right now?" I ask him. He shakes his head.  
"No. It's Saturday, right?"

I nod. "Alright, if you say so."

* * *

_Few weeks later_

I'm sitting on a chair next to dad. There is a awkward silence on us. I have no clue why he is so quiet right now. I'm fully recovered and capable to run, shoot and jump without pain in my side. So when I asked if I could come to town with the group...

I have no idea why he went so quiet.

"Come on, dad. You know I can do it", I say when I can't take the silence anymore. Dad looks at me and nods.  
"I know you could do it. But I have to think."  
"Think about what?" I almost shout. "There are people protecting civilians so here is nothing to do. And you need backup to the town. I heard there are lots of skitters again."

Dad ducks his head for a moment but sighing he lifts his head and gaze up to meet my eyes.

"Yeah. I guess you're right. But you have to promise me one thing."

I nod grinning. "Yes, of course. What ever you want. Thanks, dad." "You have to promise you'll tell me if you go somewhere alone. If you hear Matt screaming... tell me. Okay?"

I shrug. "I wouldn't do the same mistake twice. So, sounds good to me. I promise."

Dad gets up to leave, but I stop him. "Dad.. what was Matt even doing there?"

Dad grins and looks at me. "He told you when you were asleep, but I heard something. I guess he wanted to help us. You know him."

I grin. "Yeah. I know."

And when I sit to the car next to Karen, dad and Dai, I can't stop smiling. This is what I missed. And now...

I'm back in action.

**End.**

**Alright... I had no idea how to end this so here it goes. Sorry if it sounds bad. :D Reviews are love!**

**ps- I wrote this in the night, so sorry if you found any mistakes ! **


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